THE New Vision this week published a story quoting a local leader, William Komakech, that three lions and six cubs had escaped from Kidepo Valley National Park and eaten 30 goats, five dogs and five cows in Ligi-Ligi village, Adilang subcounty, Agago District.

In early March, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) deployed heavily in the said communities and looked for the lions after getting information that they were roaming the village.
This went on for two weeks.

Now, when we say UWA looked for the lions, we are talking serious work with our technical personnel using specialised gadgets to carry out searches late in the night when they are supposed to be very active.

No lions were found! Meetings were held with the local chairman and with the residents many of whom said their goats had disappeared without a trace.

This, therefore, should negate the claims that lions are eating people’s goats because if that was the case, the residents should have found the half-eaten carcasses of the goats left behind by the lions. UWA inquired whether any goat carcasses had been seen by any residents and the answer was no.

This could therefore mean that someone is stealing people’s goats and blaming the Kidepo lions.

UWA will continue looking for the lions and the goat carcasses but in the meantime the security agencies could also think of beginning to look for the goat thieves in Agago District. Thieves leave no half eaten carcasses but lions certainly do.

Lillian Nsubuga
Public Relations Manager
Uganda Wildlife Authority